When Mace Gets Bored
by Purpleluva01
Summary: Just as the title says. One-shot.


_**When Mace Gets Bored**_

_**By**_

_**Reptilian-Angel**_

It was all quiet in Troika HQ, Lilith enjoying a rare peaceful moment that was sorely hard to find nowadays.

And she wasn't the only one. Igrath was seated on the sofa right next to her, "watching" the CCN news with his ears twitching now and again, his massive form adjusted so one thick arm was thrown over the back of the couch which gave her a chance to carefully curl up next to him, his natural bulk the perfect pillow to recline back on as she read, the tips of his wings tickling at her ankles. Namah was propped up on the arm opposite, being mindful of her horns as she leaned more heavily against him, offering the occasional commentary on a segment of news, or on the constant banner of news racing on the lower half of the screen, or on the reporters in general, most of which unflattering to which Igrath took in with a silent eye-roll and a smile.

Vi and Scinter were also there too. The Black Market Mastermind fiddled with some oddly shaped metal frame that could either be an intricate gun, a new type of weapon to combat the nightmares and Dark Dks, or perhaps just the beginnings for a new blender that Karo had broken. Whatever it was, Scinter concentrated on it with laser-precision and focus, his forked tongue coming out to hiss occasionally and his long, deft fingers flitted here and there over his project. Vi, looking almost lazy in comparison, simply wiped a clean rag over her own rifle, cleaning whatever slight smudges she saw before just running over it languidly. While normally nervous at the sight of most weapons, Lilith felt just fine just seeing her being attentively to it. Provided it wasn't loaded, of course.

All was perfectly calm when Nainso arrived, the familiar sound of his dress-shoes quickly heading over to them. Even though the dirt-covered canyon ground of the base was a stark contrast to the impeccably clear floors of the Sabbaton Towers, practically living under the same roof as him made it next to impossible to know his stride as anything else. Lilith looked up from the book she was reading, only to blink at the sight of his bare throat, one of his signatures ties nowhere to be seen. "H-Hello, Mister Nainso. Is everything okay?"

His expression was only just slightly frustrated, no doubt due to his incomplete wardrobe. "Honestly, no, Lilith. I seem to have lost my tie somewhere. I take it that none of you had seen it?" Lilith only shook her head apologetically, while the others had only offered a few no's and sorry's and a "How the hell should I know?"

He lightly sighed. "I don't understand. Where could it have gone? I know I didn't just -"

"_Ahem._"

He turned around at the voice announced right behind him. Befuddled, he blinked at the empty space. Then he looked down and felt both his eyebrows go up.

There, standing with a sort of stiff posture that was obviously rehearsed, and wearing a _very_ familiar tie, a poorly buttoned-up vest and over-sized dress-shirt that dragged along the ground, was Mace. His arms were folded neatly behind his back, and his messy chunk of hair had been combed back and gelled with Spirits knew what as his face hinted at what Nainso supposed was utter seriousness.

And then he spoke.

"Afternoon, all!" His voice took on a haughty, accented tilt, the boy lowering his voice as well as he could, almost to the point of ridicule as wheezed. "I see that we're all lazing about today when we should be being _productive_!" He smacked the bottom of his fist to his open palm with over-exaggeration. "After all, we are the _Troika_; hallmarks of professionalism and all that stands between order and sheer, absolute _chaos_! We must not be wasting the day as we have so much to get done; why, the mountains of paper-work and sneaking that must be done makes even my mind boggle!

"So let's not dawdle about any longer! We have much to do and so little time to do it! Now, if you'll excuse me, I must go and consume ridiculous amounts of coffee to overcompensate!_ Ta-Ta_! Evening all, and all that jazz!" Bowing low at his audience he turned abruptly on his heel, head held high as he strutted away.

The look on Nainso's face was hilarious. What exactly had just happened?

A loud snort answered him before turning into full-blown laughter.

Looking back, Nainso made another face at the scene before him. Lilith had her book held up to her face, hiding her smile but not the mirth in her eyes. Vi settled for throwing her hand over her mouth, her eyes shut tight as her shoulders shook at her merriment. Igrath and Namah were the most vocal, the Blind Griffin roaring with laughter from the belly up as he struggled to keep from falling off the sofa, a task that Namah failed miserably at, her high-pitched cackling rising up from where she fell while her ankles kicked at the air wildly.

Nainso gave them an indignant frown. "Oh come on, really, you all? That was unconvincing whatsoever!" That statement only made them laugh harder. "Alright, alright, perhaps the costume was little funny but, for Heaven's sake, I do _not_ sound like that!" His only response was Lilith tearing up from her repressed giggles and Namah again falling over when she had just succeeded in getting back up. "Really, I _don't_! I really don't!"

Exasperated, he swiftly turned toward the only Dreamkeeper who hadn't made a single sound. "Scinter, please, tell them, I don't really sound like that! Right?" Nothing. "_Right?_"

Scinter looked at him, good and hard, for a single solitary minute . . .

. . . Then instantly looked away.

All Nainso could do was look utterly put-out, leaving Lilith no choice but to finally give in, falling back against Igrath's jovially shuddering body as her laughter burst out of her lips with a vengeance.

Any semblance of peace was lost after that. But she sure as hell wasn't complaining.

_**Fin.**_

* * *

**ME: Just something spur-of-the-moment that I decided to write both to get back into writing again and also to recall an old comic series from childhood that still remains special in my heart to this day.**

**Cookies go out to whoever guesses it right! All comments are appreciated! I own nothing!**


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